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Is there a significant difference between these kits, other than the price?

A new "MYCARR" angel eye kit is being offered by some of the sponsors of E46Fanatics and there are some photos that make it appear to be exactly the same as Umnitza's Predator Chromiums, which have a higher retail cost. There is also other information and pictures scattered in some other threads and on some other websites detailing the similarities and differences between these two product kits.

Here is a summary of that information and the bottom line on the differences between the two kits, including some new pictures clearly illustrating the difference. Most of the pictures and information were provided in other threads by Tom@EAS and by Matt@Umnitza along with information from their websites.

In this picture the kits appear exactly the same other than the design of the printing on the box. Both come with four 6000k rings, the same ballasts and the same wiring harness. Both also include a "life time warranty". Both are sourced and manufactured by the same company in China. There is however, a difference in a part of the rings.

Predator Chromiums have a chrome (chromium) plated plastic backing piece as shown in this picture. This piece is exclusive to Predator Chromiums. The MYCARR rings have a semi transparent backing piece that does not reflect light the way the chrome piece is designed to do.

A back view of a Predator Chromium ring with the chrome plastic backing piece removed.

This picture clearly shows the backer difference between the MYCARR rings on the left and the Predator Chromiums on the right.

Matt@Umnitza claims that this product may or may not have a UV coating, which would prevent the rings from yellowing and aging prematurely. Predator Chromiums do have the UV coating. Matt also claims that this MYCARR kit is the same as the "Standard Predator" kit that he has offered on his website for years for $99. The rings are the same with no chrome reflector, but up until a couple days ago, Umnitza's Standard Predator kit for $99 did not include a wiring harness or the life time warranty. You have to type in E46fanatics in the comments field if you order them and they will automatically upgrade you to Free Lifetime Warranty and Include the harness.http://forum.e46fanatics.com/showpos...7&postcount=17

Umnitza Predator Chromiums also offer some options that this standard MYCARR kit does not, but they are all at an extra added price.

The Umnitza website claims that Predator Chromiums are 50% brighter than Standard Chromiums because of the different "chromium" backing. These pictures compare the brightness of MYCARR rings to Predator Chromium rings.

Front comparison shot of MYCARR ring on left and Predator Chromium on the right.

Rear comparison shot of MYCARR ring on left and Predator Chromium on the right.

So the bottom line, apples to apples is, there are 3 significant differences between these two kits...

1. The design of the printing on the box.

2. The reflective chrome backing on the Predator Chromiums.

3. The retail price.

That's it, a clear comparison. Now the customer can decide if Predator Chromiums are still worth the extra cost.

Thanks Uncle Don! One other difference. I have not been able to find any MYCARR's in a different Kelvin. All seem to be 6000K which is the most popular color and most likely closest to OEM's 4300-4500K. The 6000K seem to match OEM very closely!

UncleDon pretty much summed it up with the facts. The reason of the dark surface is to show rear light bleedoff from the rear of the ring, which is not that significant between the two kits. The MYCARR units integrated an opaque backing (think privacy glass) to counteract this.

Also note the ring mounting clips are exactly the same along with the casting marks where the rings halves meet. If more pictures are needed, we'd be happy to oblige. In the meantime, here's a night shot of the kt in action:

Quote:

Originally Posted by easttowest

I would still buy the predator chromiums even though they are more, just seems like a more reliable product to me

The Lifetime warranty in the past has always been a hot topic on the forums as it never runs as smoothly as expected - a quick forum search will confirm this. We're planning to change that and back the MYCARR kits up our own no-hassle lifetime warranty.

Thanks Uncle Don! One other difference. I have not been able to find any MYCARR's in a different Kelvin. All seem to be 6000K which is the most popular color and most likely closest to OEM's 4300-4500K. The 6000K seem to match OEM very closely!

You are correct, that would fall under the options that Umnitza Predator Chromiums offers and the standard MYCARR kit does not, but they are all at an extra added price.

[QUOTE=UncleDon;7492012]...Matt@Umnitza claims that this product may or may not have a UV coating, which would prevent the rings from yellowing and aging prematurely. Predator Chromiums do have the UV coating.../QUOTE]

Yeah, this seems like an odd statement. Does Umnitza spray some sorta UV spray prior to shipping the lights out?

...Matt@Umnitza claims that this product may or may not have a UV coating, which would prevent the rings from yellowing and aging prematurely. Predator Chromiums do have the UV coating.../QUOTE]

Yeah, this seems like an odd statement. Does Umnitza spray some sorta UV spray prior to shipping the lights out?

No, they have Predator Chromiums manufactured to their specs which include the UV coating.

Here's the quote from Matt...

Quote:

Originally Posted by umnitza

We also had many very private changes that I'm sure MyCarr has decided to incorporate into the "standard" edition - heat sinking the clips, originally they were just clipped in, they also changed their clipping system, changes that were exclusive to our product but may have been incorporated into their generic product. The standard product didn't have the UV coating, it probably still does not, which will let your rings yellow and age prematurely.

that piece of plastic on the back of the light ends up coming off anyway. for what i paid it should have gave me more life than that. tom if a ballast goes out do i need to send you my ballast for you to test and then wait to you feel like sending me one

that piece of plastic on the back of the light ends up coming off anyway. for what i paid it should have gave me more life than that. tom if a ballast goes out do i need to send you my ballast for you to test and then wait to you feel like sending me one

There are a couple of different options we have - feel free to contact me directly and I'll be happy to explain in detail.

Thanks for the comparison.
As I've stated many times, it seems that our specs have been incorporated into the generic offering.

What you have detected is thanks to all the marketing, support, service, and additional efforts we've put into the product, the costs had to go up. And as a result of ever increasing volume and sales, the cost of manufacturing these - now 3+ years after their introduction, have dramatically decreased (as our supplier seems to have done).

Couple that with the need to support an ever growing supplier/distribution channel, the base price at $200 was set to ensure that all vendors in the supply chain were able to make a profit and still be able to service their customers.

Obviously, generic kits come along all the time that copy the originals and that's how some prices fall.

The Chromium kit is on its way out in terms of being premiere, although we fully expect to support it for the life of the product as it is installed on people's cars.